Superstar singer Elton John has extended a helping hand to his former-fiancée with an extremely sweet gesture – 50 years after he jilted her.
Linda Hannon, 76, who lives in the US and was in a relationship with I’m Still Standing singer in 1970, had been in extreme pain in recent months, desperately needing a knee replacement.
However, due to financial constraints, she was unable to have the operation as she could not afford to take five weeks off work to recuperate.
Due to Covid-19, the surgery where she worked had already cut her hours, making it impossible for her to take unpaid leave.
Linda said: “My knee is awful to walk on and I’ve been having shots… I thought of Reg and whether he could help. It was a long shot.”
Linda reached out to Elton this year
She decided to take the plunge and reach out to his camp, despite having not spoken to her former love in 40 years.
“I sent a couple of emails to his management and put in a couple of details only Reg might remember, ” she revealed, “such as the time we were driving up the A1 to Bernie’s parents for lunch and we had a car accident.
“I had my arm in a sling for a while and only he would know that.”
Linda and Elton were due to wed, but he called the wedding off
There were also some other memories she had of her time with Elton, who – at the time – was still known by his birth name Reginald Dwight, or Reg, as she used to call him.
She continued: “… he came to my brother’s 21st birthday party. Reg, myself and my mother took the train to Newcastle.
“I remember him wearing a bottle green suit. I think it was the only one he had. They were the little things I did to prove who I was. But I never heard anything back.”
Linda claimed she used to pay the bills to help Elton’s music career
Linda was aware that her correspondence would likely get lost in the sea of fan mail the Candle in the Wind star received but still didn’t give up.
She finally turned to a newspaper, the Mirror, hoping the star might read her story and that’s when thing started to look up.
In the article, she said she hoped she could “call in a favour” as she had helped both Elton and Elton’s longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin out financially before they found their big break.
Linda lived with Elton for around nine months in 1970
She continued: “In the late 60s, Reg and Bernie weren’t earning any money, so I was hoping, from one friend to another, whether they could help me through this financial blip.
“When Reg started out, I was paying the rent, bills and for the food. It was while they were trying to live their dreams.”
Despite all this, the aspiring rock star dumped her not long before they were due to wed after Bernie talked him out of the union on Elton’s stag do.
The singer later referenced the incident in his hit Somebody Saved My Life Tonight.
Elton John agreed to help his ex out after hearing her story
When the Mirror relayed Linda’s plight to Elton’s camp, they came back straight away with the news that he would be thrilled to help.
A source close to Elton said: “When Elton heard about Linda’s plight, he didn’t hesitate for a second to help out.
“He remembers how good she was 50 years ago, when he and Bernie needed the support, and is really pleased to be able to help her in her hour of need.”
Elton converted his long-term civil partnership with David Furnish into a marriage (Image: Getty Images for EJAF)
Linda, who has previously said that she doesn’t hold anything against Elton for ditching her, gushed: “I am so touched by Reg. After all these years, it’s so kind. I am thrilled to bits that he is offering to help.”
Elton went on to wed Renate Blauel in 1984. They divorced in 1988, when he came out as gay.
In 2014, Elton converted his long-term civil partnership with David Furnish into a marriage.
They have two kids – Zachary, nine, and Elijah, seven.
Nine months after her split from Elton, Linda wed James Bowens, though the couple split soon after as she admitted she was still in love with ex-Elton.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
